Plaque-holder.



v PATENTED DEC. 5, 1905. J.-L. CLARK .PLAQUE HOLDER.

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PATENTED DEG. 5,1905. J. L. CLARK. PLAQUE HOLDER.

APPLICATION IIL ED JAN. 10. 1906.

2 SHEETS-$11331 2.

JOHN L. CLARK, OF BANGOR, MAINE.

PLAQUE-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

Application filed January 10, 1905. Serial No. 240,454.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN L. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bangor, in

-- of construction.

the county of Penobscot and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Plaque-Holder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for hanging ornamental plates, plaques, and similar articles.

The principal object is to provide an extremely simple article of manufacture of a novel nature that may be readily applied to articles of various sizes and shapes and will securely clamp upon and hold the same without injuring them and will not hide or detract from the ornamental exposed faces of such plaques. v Three embodiments of the invention ,have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and are described in the following specification, and it will be clear upon an inspection of the appended claims by those skilled in the art that the'invention is not limited to the exact construction set forth, but that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the same applied to a plaque. Fig. 2 is a sectional viewthrough the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the supporting means or holder, also showing how the same may be compactly and conveniently boxed; Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of a modified form Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the hanger-shank thereof. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of still another embodi-' ment of the invention.

Similar reference-numerals designate corre-' sponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring first to the embodiment illustrated in the first three figures of the drawings,a body element 7 is employed, preferably in the form of a dished circular disk, thus having an annular flange 8. This body element is provided with sets of alined guides or keeper-loops 9, struck up from the material of which the body element is formed and set out from the outer exposed face of the element. Plaque-engaging means are provided in the form of shanks 10, preferably constructed of suitable sheet metal that may be readily bent. The outer ends of these shanks-are provided with terminal hooks 11, while their inner portions are each slidable longitudinally in one of the sets of loops 9. One of'the shanks 10 is furthermore providedbetween its hook 11 and the portion engaging the body element with a reversely-arranged serpentine loop l2,v doubled longitudinally upon the shank and constituting an eye, in which may be secured a ring 13, that constitutes hanging means for the device.

As sent out from the factory the shanks may be and preferably are left straight, being passed through the keeper-loops 9, so that the same may be conveniently boxed, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

In applying the device to a plaque the body element 7 is centered upon the rear side of the same, with the shank having the ring uppermost. The two lower hooks are then engaged overithe peripheral edge of the plaque, and the inner terminal portions of the lower shanks are then doubled about the upper keepers, through which they pass, thus securing the shanks against outward longitudinal movement, it of course being understood that these shanks will readily bend to the contour of the rear side of the plaque. The hookcarried by the upper shank is then engaged over the upper edge of the plaque, and said shank is drawn tightly through its keepers, after which the free inner portion of this shank is also doubled. Thus the holder is rigidly secured to the plaque, and there is no danger of the two becoming diassociated until the doubled terminals have again been straightened and the shanks moved longitudinally to disengage the hooks. ple article of manufacture has been produced having all the advantages set forth in the preliminary portion of the specification.

As an indication of how the structure may be modified attention is invited to Figs. 4 and 5, wherein is shown a body element 7, constructed substantially the same as that above described, having sets of spaced keepers 8, through which are passed shanks of bendable material 9, the :shanks in this instance being in the form of rods or wire and having the usual terminal hooks 10 at their outer ends. One of the shanks is provided with an eye 11, formed by looping the material of said shank and then twisting the loop, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The manner of applying and using this form of the invention is substantially the same as in the first-described embodiment, and therefore a further detailed It will thus be seen that a very sim- I description thereof is thought to be unnecessary.

Still another structure is illustrated in Fig. 6, this embodiment being perhaps particularly applicable in connection with platters or elliptical dishes. An angular body 7 is employed, provided with transversely -disposed sets of keeper-loops 8", through which are slidably passed shanks 9 having outer terminal hooks 10 The books are arranged to embrace the margin of the plaque or dish. (Indicated in dotted lines.) The upper shank is provided with a loop portion similar to that shown in Fig. 2, which portion forms an eye that holds a ring 11*. In this form of construction the lower shanks may be placed in nearly parallel relation and at any distance apart desired in order that the books may properly fit upon the article to be held.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a holder of the character described, the combination with a body element having a plurality of angularly -disposed sets of keepers, each set comprising a plurality of alined keepers that are spaced apart and located on opposite margins of the body, of a plurality of angularly-disposed plaque-engaging devices, each of which comprises a shank extending across the body and slidable in all of the alined keepers of one of the sets, said shank having a plaque-engaging hook at one end and having its other end bendable about the keeper farthest from the hook.

2. In a holder of the character described, the combination with a dished body element having a peripheral flange projecting from one side and a plurality of angularly-disposed sets of keepers outstanding from the other side, each set comprising a plurality of spaced keepers located at diametrically opposite portions of the body element, of a shank slidably passing through each set, one end of each shank having a plaque-engaging hook, the other end being bendable about the adjacent keeper. v

3. In a holder of the character described, plaque-engaging means including a shank having a plaque-engaging hook, the entire width of an intermediate portion of said shank, being looped into an eye to provide means for hanging said engaging means and the plaque carried thereby.

4:. Ina holder of the character described, the combination with a body, of plaque-engaging means carried by the body, said means including a metal shank having a plaque-engaging hook at one end and a longitudinallyslidable connection at its other end with the body, the entire width of an intermediate portion of said shank being looped to form an eye.

5. In a holder of the character described, the combination with a body having sets of spaced keeper loops or guides struck therefrom, of a plurality of shanks longitudinally slidable through the loops and having outer terminal hooks, one of said shanks being doubled longitudinally upon itself to form an eye.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN L. CLARK.

Witnesses:

M. J. RYAN, HILAND L. FAIRBANKS. 

